You wouldn’t think twice about spending $200 on a pair of jeans, especially if they make your butt look amazing. Most of us even spend up to $100 on work out pants. Pants we sweat in. But when it comes to our haircuts, we are forever looking for the best cut for the cheapest price.

But why really? It’s our hair. We wear it every single day. Not to be melodramatic, but it pretty much makes or breaks our intended look. Our hair says something to the world. “I am soft and sweet.” “I am fearless.” “I am funkified, so watch out!” Hair rocks. Hair rolls. Hair is there to stay. So let go of your death grip, and start treating your hair like you treat your derriere.

The average American woman has her locks trimmed every eight to ten weeks, that’s 5-6 times per year. At $100 a pop, that’s $600 per year. You might spend that much on one bag or one pair of shoes that you wear three times. It is better invested on your head, the topper of your outfit. To list the great salons in the city would be laboriously long, so I have a few short guidelines.

1) Going to the celebrity stylist isn’t necessary. You don’t need highlights that will photograph beautifully on the red carpet, and there are great stylists that don’t charge $600 for them. You should be able to find a hundred dollar haircut that you love.

2) Ask. Ask. Ask. If you see a woman’s hair you love, just ask. Remember, you wear it everyday. You may as well get it right. Plus, you will make her day. Hair karma is good karma.

3) Never be lured by those guys on the streets who ask where you get your haircut. If there salon was really reputable, they wouldn’t have to solicit tourists - or you - off the street.

4) Utilize their services. If they offer to trim your bangs three or four weeks out, go get your bangs trimmed. Your style will last longer, and you will feel immensely better about the price. You paid for it!

Still can’t decide where to go? We like Laicale in Soho, Sam Brocato on Wooster, and Soon Beauty Lab with locations in both the East Village and Chelsea.

Emma Dinzebach

Accessorizing hair with headbands, bows, feathers and clips are kid stuff compared to the fancified braids everywhere from the red carpet to the runway. Braids put a little pizazz in an otherwise ordinary updo, add some texture to a long hair and make your hair its own accessory. For lucky ladies with long, thick hair this look is as easy as a little practice. Low, loose braids are both office appropriate and sexy for a night out. Tighter, more sculpted braids marched down the runway at McQueen’s Spring 2010 runway show. Smaller, more random braids create a hippie feel or can make a more conservative look lighter.

But sometimes accessorizing with braids means using all of your hair, and many women don’t have enough to spare. For fine-hair ladies, try a braided hair piece to create your look. Hair headbands, like the one above, create that neat wrap around look so popular amongst celebrities. Braided hair bands come in various sizes, so choose the thickness that most closely matches your hair’s natural thickness. (There are also braided hair buns for more formal events.) Or try securing a hair piece in a ponytail and braiding it in with your normal hair. For tips on braiding, click here.

Emma Dinzebach

Color de natural for Spring twenty ten with neutral eyes, flushed pink cheeks and Chapstick lips. Well, not totally, but achieving your most natural look starts from the inside out. So it’s back to the basics: sleep, drink, wash. Making sure you are adequately rested and your skin has had time to form shiny new cells. Staying hydrated truly makes you glow. Washing off your make-up at night, so you don’t wake up with blackheads and wrinkles. Pretty simple stuff, but basics we sometimes forget when we are rushing around.

Then on your clean, glowing facial palette, moisturize. Clogged pores tend to result from dry, dead skin cells clogging the poor, so choose a skin type-appropriate moisturizer and be liberal. Around the eyes, never pull from the inner eye out. When removing make-up or applying eye cream, always dab gently from the corners inward. Even out skin tone with foundaiton or concealer and use a little rosy blush. We aren’t seeing much bronzer on the runways or red carpet as the look is softer and more effervescent. A few coats of mascara and you could be ready to go. If you feel too nude, then line your eyes with a soft brown or blue rather than a harsh black and paint your pout with something sassy. Because the face has less color, choose something pinky for your lips. A totally bare lip can wash out your face and looks best with a dark, smokey eye.

Your done and have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to read the paper, enjoy your coffee or walk to work.

Emma Dinzebach

The 80’s married the 90’s and spit out the Giles Spring 2010 runway collection complete with punk rock hair. Pink and green locks topped off their beautiful runway models. Color accents and crazy cuts seem to be around every corner from Rhianna to Rachel McAdams to my Romanian dry cleaner. My own stylist buzzed underneath his hair, setting a trend in my salon with even female stylists following suit.

Short hair is obviously the easiest to punk out because you can spike it all craziness and colored pieces aren’t  as loud when they have a funky backdrop. But consult a stylist before you chop. Short hair cuts are best suited for people with a) beautiful faces and b) distinct feature(s). Leaving the top longer provides some chic softening. If you are intent on keeping it long, think Ramone’s shag cut, bang it up (like Kiera Knightly) or add a little neon in your life. These opportunities only come up every few decades, so you may as well take a walk on the wild side. Buzzing underneath allows for both long and short cuts, but really only works on thick hair. (Trust me, I tried to get it and he said it would make my fine hair look like paper.) The underneath cut looks rad pulled to one side and even better with the longer pieces highlighted.

And remember, it grows back.

Emma Dinzebach